Seoul had a scoreless tie against Sangju F.C. in Round 10 of the 2018 K League 1, which was held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on April 28.

The hosts adopted a 4-3-3- formation. GK Yang Han Been guarded the goalposts, with Sim Sang Min, Hwang Hyun Soo, Kim Won Gun, and Shin KwangHoon forming a watertight four-back defense line. In the middle, Hwang Ki Wook, Jung Hyun Cheol, and Sin Jin Ho defended the center of Seoul’s squad in the form of a triangle. The forward line was filled up with Kim Han Gil, Evandro, who previously scored a goal at home against Daegu, and Cho Young Wook.

Into the early minutes of the game, Seoul set off to a head start, with Evandro boasting his ability to peel off defenders and cut into the side of the ground. The hosts made some remarkable effort to create space with a barrage of short passes. In the 10th minute, the opponents made a threatening pass into the penalty box, but the center backs defused the crisis with reliable defense, which was immediately followed by a left-footed shot from Evandro in a swift counterattack. In a following corner, the hosts caught a fine chance to find the net, but it did not lead to scoring. Seoul sought to find space in the defense by stirring them with passes and sways. In the 20th minute, Kim Han Gil took the ball from a defender and made a short, rapid pass to charge into empty space, exciting a number of fans to their feet. Seoul secured a corner kick in the 29th minute, where Hwang Hyun Soo managed to find a way out of the thicket of defenders to collect the cross from Sin Jin Ho to fire a header, but it slightly missed the target by the side. The hosts focused on set pieces in their effort to turn the tide of the game. In the 45th minute, there was a threatening shot from the opponents following a cross, but a defender threw himself to fend off the shot. The first half came to a bitter end without goals.

Starting from the second half of the game, Seoul tried a different set of attacking patterns, opting to find the net from crosses from each side, rather than trying to find a way into the middle. In the 6th minute, Evandro made a bold dash before whipping a strong left-footed drive to the goal, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. It was not a goal, but a turning point that both threatened the opponents and swung the pendulum of initiative back to FC Seoul. They attacked fast both in each side and in the center, in a bid to send crosses to the goal from each side.

In the 17th minute, Sin Jin Ho whipped in a cross from the left, and Evandro dove in to make a header out of it, but it was blocked by the goalie. Seoul carved paths to the goal by providing chances for Evandro and the forwards on each side, and in the 18th minute, Seoul changed their strategy by brining in Anderson and Kova in place of Kim Han Gil and Jung Hyun Cheol. In the 24th minute, Anderson, Evandro, and Cho Young Wook carved their way towards the center from the side, providing a chance to Anderson to unleash a strong shot with his left foot. The pattern of cutting into the sides and making crosses proved to be a more threatening strategy compared to the plays from the first half.

Having the shot in the arm, Seoul picked up their pace, with Anderson stirring the defender with his agility. In the 31st minute, Seoul mobilized all of their scorers, by replacing the rookie Cho Young Wook with Park Chu Young, a veteran goal-getter of FC Seoul. In the 34th minute, Park intercepted the ball from defenders, and Kova had a go, but it missed the target again. In the 39th minute, Evandro changed the direction of the ball with a header, which almost touched the foot of Park Chu Young, but a defender cleared the ball before it reached Park. The opponents mounted a dangerous counterattack, but the hosts managed to spare themselves a crisis as the shot missed the target. In a counterattack that followed immediately, Evandro made a swift penetration before passing the ball to Park, who fired a shot with his left foot, continuing on their attacks into the last minutes of the game. Seoul made a repeated attempt at find the net through side attacks, but it failed to bear fruit. Having failed to convert the swift side attacks into a goal, Seoul had to take a rain check on three win points.

Seoul’s bid for a third consecutive win at home ended up an anticlimax of a scoreless draw with Sangju. It’s May. Spring is coming, and weather is warming up too. On May 2, FC Seoul will take a road trip to Gyeongnam to chalk up their first win for the new month, before a Super Match with Suwon at home on Children’s Day on May 5.